By Hailey Caughron
As the Class of 2025 wraps up its senior year, one of the hardest parts for seniors is parting ways with their extracurriculars. Most students spend hours in these activities and with the people involved in them. And in rare cases, the seniors make up the majority of the team. This was the case for the 2024-2025 LHS speech team. And while seniors can tend to lose motivation in their activities their senior year, senioritis did not strike this group.
The team had eighteen members compete throughout the season. Nine of these were seniors. Over the past four years, this senior class has earned hundreds of medals in total, 5 state medals, 2 state championships, and achieved four broken records. Not only have they contributed to the success of the team, but they’ve helped build a family environment that will carry on throughout the next few years.
Senior Easton Fiala said, “Speech is basically a second family. We always have each others’ backs. We support each other whether that’s giving critiques or just laughing around with each other. I will for sure miss the team most.”
This group of seniors is a close knit group. Most of them are best friends, and they frequently hang out together. They have been through thick and thin. Over their four years on the team, they have been coached under 4 different individuals.
“Usually teams tend to go through recovery years when they get a new coach, but somehow we were able to still learn, grow, and succeed so much over our time on the team,” said senior Emma Renner.
This graduating class will be remembered for so much in the speech world, and their legacy will be remembered for years to come. They will also be remembered for their impact on their underclassmen teammates. There were six new freshmen who joined the team this season, and they started their careers out with a bang.
Sophomore Peyton Lutz said, “Hailey has always been a motivation to look up to. I remember doing my first piece freshman year, looking up to her and thinking ‘Oh my God, I don’t know how I’m gonna do this.’ I was so scared, but she helped build me up and gave me the confidence I needed to start out.”
As this large class of seniors leaves, they pass on the torch to the rest of the team. There will only be one returning senior on the team next year, Dayton Carlson, but the team will be in great hands. Head coach Erik Quam is a fantastic director and coach. His coaching skills, combined with the rising talent of the underclassmen, will continue the legacy the seniors are leaving behind, and Louisville Speech will always continue to thrive not only on Speechwire, but also as a family unit.